Monday, October 30, 2017

Maritime Monday for October 30th, 2017: Lumber Hooker

Europa, later SS Liberté, was a German ocean liner built for the Norddeutsche Lloyd line (NDL) to work the transatlantic sea route. She and her sister ship, Bremen, were the two most advanced, high-speed steam turbine ocean vessels in their day, with both earning the Blue Riband. more

USS Europa in Bremerhaven, May 1945 – Europa was inactive for most of World War II. There were plans to use her as a transport in Operation Sea Lion, the intended invasion of Great Britain, and later conversion to an aircraft carrier. None of these plans came to pass The United States claimed the ship as a war prize on 8 May 1945 and gave the vessel to the US Navy for use as a troopship, sailing as the USS Europa (AP-177).Ghost Ship Harbor, Quincy, Massachusetts

Leave it to Boston to create a hair-raising haunted house that’s not actually in a house, but on a ship docked in the harbor.

The premise is this: A plague has ravaged the human race, and hopping on the USS Salem is civilization’s last chance at survival. Before boarding, people are subjected to eye scans to ensure they’re virus-free. Once on the boat, though, visitors quickly realize the virus isn’t actually contained. Creepy happenings and gory mayhem ensues. keep reading

The aptly named USS Salem (CA-139) is one of 3 heavy cruisers completed for the United States Navy shortly after World War II and commissioned in 1949. She was the world’s last heavy cruiser to enter service and the only one still in existence. She is currently open to the public as a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts. more

In the spring of 1768, Thom Larkin, a 17-year-old sailor newly arrived in Boston, is caught by a Royal Navy press gang and dragged off to HMS Romney, where he runs afoul of the cruel and corrupt Lieutenant Dudingston. Years later, after escaping the Romney, Thom again crosses paths with his old foe, now in command HMS Gaspee, cruising in Narragansett Bay. Thom Larkin must face the guns of the Royal Navy, with only his wits, an unarmed packet boat, and a sandbar.

Arthur Scherbius, a German engineer, developed his ‘Enigma’ machine, capable of transcribing coded information, in the hope of interesting commercial companies in secure communications. In 1923 he set up his Chiffriermaschinen Aktiengesellschaft (Cipher Machines Corporation) in Berlin to manufacture his product. Within three years the German navy was producing its own version. More About Enigma on BBC History

The top-secret breaking of the German Enigma code by Alan Turing, and the codebreakers working with him at Bletchley Park, was one of the greatest British coups of the second world war. It helped ships delivering vital supplies to the UK during the darkest days of the war to evade the packs of German U-boats.

HMS Niobe (1897) was a protected cruiser in the Royal Navy; serving in the Boer War and later given to Canada as the second ship of the newly created Naval Service of Canada, named HMCS Niobe.

During the First World War, Niobe patrolled the approaches to the St. Lawrence River and then joined the Royal Navy’s 4th Cruiser Squadron to patrol off New York City. She then returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia on 17 July 1915 and never put to sea again. keep reading

I could carry, paddle, walk and sing with any man I ever saw. I have been twenty-four years a canoe man, and forty-one years in service; no portage was ever too long for me, fifty songs could I sing. I have saved the lives of ten voyageurs, have had twelve wives and six running dogs. I spent all of my money in pleasure. Were I young again, I would spend my life the same way over. There is no life so happy as a voyageur’s life!

In French-settled Canada of the 18th and early 19th centuries, the most challenging task of the fur trading business was done by canoe, and the Voyageurs were legendary.

Despite the fame surrounding the voyageur, their life was one of toil and not nearly as glorious as folk tales make it out to be. Life of a Voyageur

Tasse à canot de voyageurs – Voyageurs canoe cup: During the fur trade era French-Canadian voyageurs and Native American hunters traveling by canoe often carried wooden canoe cups (sometimes called belt cups), a practical accessory that allowed them to dip drinking water from a lake or stream while paddling a canoe. Canoe cups were typically made from a tree burl, often maple or birch, that was hollowed out and shaped with crooked knife. Attached to the cup was usually a piece of deer or moose hide cordage, and a twig or carved toggle, which allowed the cup to hang from the sash or belt.Shooting The Rapids, Ca. 1879, Source: Library And Archives Canada/Crédit: Frances Anne Hopkins – Big Canoes Coming to Merrickville on the North Greenville Times

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Take 10: Keeping boats safe from the high seas

HIDE CAPTION

Frank, Skip and Marie Richards, from left to right, with employees Andy Jennings and Kenny Rebello stand among the trailers and boats at Dry Dock Marine in South Yarmouth. Frank Richard bought the business with his wife, Marie, in 1977 and continues to work there with his son, Skip, who has taken over the day-to-day operations. [Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times]

SOUTH YARMOUTH — When the waters of Cape Cod turn warm and boaters return to the seas, Dry Dock Marine Corp. gets hopping.

The boat hauling and storage business keeps about 200 vessels on 5 acres at its Old Town House Road facility and, for the most part, sees its busiest seasons right before and after summer as its dry-docked boats move on and off the yard to head nearly anywhere across the Cape.

“We handle a lot of big stuff from a lot of all the major boat yards. We’re probably one of the biggest boat haulers on the Cape,” said Frank Richard, who bought the business with his wife, Marie, in 1977 and continues to work there with his son, Skip, who has taken over the day-to-day operations.

The business allows boats to be stored on trailers in the yard, too, so during the summer there’s a steady stream of customers coming in and out to take their boats on the water for the day. The business also allows owners to work on their boats while they’re in storage, giving them an edge on the marinas that typically provide less access during the off-season.

Video: Dry Dock Marine Corp. in South Yarmouth

What is the biggest component of your business?Skip: Boat hauling is our primary business.

How long have you been in business?Marie: We started in August of 1977. We moved to this location in March 2006.

What did you do before?Skip: I’ve been involved in the business since I was 10 years old.

About this business

To watch a video of Dry Dock Marine Corp. employees at work: capecodtimes.com/videos.

To read more Take 10 features: capecodtimes.com/business/Take10.

How big is your staff?Marie: Six.

How has the market changed since your business started?Skip: The size and price of the boats. Our customers are a lot more demanding. We’re still a do-it-yourself yard; we do some work, the owners do some work, they get contractors to do some work. It’s a lot more picky. The boats are a lot cleaner, the boats are lot more expensive. Frank: We hauled a couple of boats to the Boston Boat Show this year that were worth $1 million apiece. And they sold it. Some of the stuff we move, it’s high value.

What are your plans for your business’ future?Skip: Who knows? Possibly a little more inside storage.

What’s your most memorable moment with this business?Skip: I’d probably say moving up here. Frank: The old shop, we had three-quarters of an acre (and) we had outgrown it by 10 or 15 years easy. We were in an old barracks building that was converted. Skip: Now we come here, we don’t have any more dirt, we have asphalt and rock, a wash basin for the bottom-washing and water and electricity all over the yard for the customers. It’s just a nice facility.

What advice do you have for someone starting out in business?Frank: They’ve got one tough nut to go. If someone went to start this business up in the position we’re in right now, I’d hate to think what they’d have to have for money just to start off with. Skip: Stay small. You don’t always have quality people working for you.

What’s the biggest challenge about having a business on Cape Cod?Skip: Employees. You can’t find the quality here. Marie: We had a guy come in on a bicycle for a driving job. He didn’t have a license.

What’s the best thing about having a business on Cape Cod?Skip: In this business, it’s being independent. Our business slows down for the summer, so we can enjoy it a little bit more.